The search for nine-year-old Manisha Salat, who allegedly fell into a 20-foot open drain on Pirana-iplaj Road in Ahmedabad, entered its sixth day as fire brigade teams examined connected drainage lines obstructed by garbage and silt.
The incident occurred near Eric Packaging Company, within the Lambha ward and Narol police station limits. According to the Times of India report, Manisha, who is blind, was travelling with her parents and two siblings on Saturday afternoon. The family got off an autorickshaw at about 3pm. Her mother, Paru Salat, was holding her hand when she let go briefly to pay the driver, after which the child allegedly stepped backwards and fell into the drain.
The family raised an alarm and informed the police and fire brigade. Fire brigade personnel reached the location between 4pm and 4.30pm and began searching the drain and nearby lines. As of 4pm on October 15, the child had not been traced. Her parents have returned to the site each day during the search, the report said.
The drain is about 20 feet deep and contains an estimated five to seven feet of accumulated garbage and silt, according to sources cited by the report. The obstruction has made it difficult for rescue personnel to inspect the channel. The drain is connected to several other lines, which fire brigade teams have also examined. Sources said the child could still be at the same location because of the heavy silt accumulation.
The search has now been extended across the drainage network. Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation standing committee chairman Kamlesh Patel said instructions had been issued to inspect the entire network from the incident site to the pumping station and onwards to the Sabarmati using cameras. The stated aim is to identify any possible lead in the search.
The case has also raised questions about the condition of the drain during construction work on the Sarkhej-Narol Highway. Sources cited by the report said the National Highways Authority of India is constructing an elevated corridor in the area and that drain covers had been broken or altered during the work without informing the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation or installing proper barricades. These claims have not been independently established in the supplied report.
The report said demands were growing for police complaints against responsible officials of the civic body and NHAI once the child is found. The immediate operation remains focused on inspecting the drain, its connected lines and the route towards the pumping station and the Sabarmati.
